Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of body attitude sensors, and, in particular, to the field of sensors, worn on a part of the body, that notify the user of when and how often the attitude of the body part deviates from a specific range of acceptable attitudes.
Statement of Related Art
After having back surgery or suffering some other back trauma, a patient may undergo physical therapy as part of his or her treatment. An important function of this therapy often is to assist the patient in altering his or her pattern of behavior during normal physical activity. In particular, it is often advantageous for the patient to maintain good posture during work and other activities of daily living.
It is known to use a back position attitude indicator device, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,938,476 (Brunelle et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,089,808 (Amirdash), to prevent back injuries during certain physical activities, such as lifting heavy objects. However, these devices are not designed to assist a physical therapist in providing and monitoring long-term treatment of a patient who has already suffered a back injury.